Action needed to help housing crisis
Members News
The Government should strongly consider reducing Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), allow development on suitable areas of Green Belt land and reduce red tape if it is to increase the pace of housebuilding. That was the widely held view of a group of 30 of Kent’s commercial and residential property specialists and their advisors who met to discuss the ramifications for the sector post-Brexit. The event, organised by national audit, tax and advisory firm Crowe Clark Whitehill, law firm Brachers and chartered surveyors Caxtons, included presentations from Phil Eckersley, South East agent for the Bank of England, and John Elliott of Millwood Designer Homes. On a positive note about the economic outlook, Phil Eckersley said: “The Bank expects growth to be stronger over the forecast period than in November 2016, with the economy now projected to expand by 2.0% in 2017 and around 1.75% thereafter. This upgrade will leave the level of UK output around 1% higher over the next three years than expected in November.” Top of the agenda was a discussion about the outlook for the county’s property market in the run up to Brexit.
Darren Rigden, Partner at Crowe Clark Whitehill, which has offices in Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone, said: “For many, Brexit is still too far away. However, we are finding there is a continued uncertainty, and the potential tax fallout of the UK leaving the EU is hampering confidence. Of more immediate concern is the Housing White Paper published on February 7 2017, which could have gone much further in its efforts to tackle the UK’s housing crisis. “If the Government is to achieve its ambition to intensify the pace of house building across the country it needs to rethink tax policy, notably cutting SDLT, and allow development on suitable areas of Green Belt land.” When considering whether the government would adopt a more business-friendly approach to the economy Ron Roser, Chairman of Caxtons, thought there was a longstanding degree of scepticism among the business community. He said: “While there is general optimism about the post Brexit
property market in Kent and the wider South East, we urgently need to address the lack of supply of new or good quality commercial property for business, as well as a lack of focus on commercial development if we are to ensure we are best placed for our new relationship with Europe. “Developers remain frustrated by the planning system and the amount of red tape being put in their way, with the process also being too political. Efforts to fund larger planning departments are to be welcomed as they remain under resourced leading to poor advice, delays and inconsistencies in the planning process, although there are notable differences in performance between different authorities in Kent.” Sarah Gaines, Partner and Head of Commercial Property at Brachers added: “Much has happened politically which has led to uncertainty across the property market. It has been a privilege to be able to bring property experts together from
many sectors to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the year ahead. “Uncertainty is likely to continue throughout the year due to Brexit and many of our clients are seeking more flexibility in their property commitments in anticipation of this. However, the one thing that is certain, is that Kent has always had a lot to offer the business community and I am sure this is set to continue.”
Young Chamber at Invicta Grammar School
Young Chamber is a very successful extracurricular club that gives students the opportunity to be involved in the world of business on a local scale. The dedication put in has allowed Young Chamber to raise large sums of money for various charities over the years and this current academic year is raising money for SUDEP, a UK charity who help those who have lost loved ones to epilepsy. A team of sixth form students, have meetings on a weekly basis and keep in contact throughout the week using an instant messaging group chat, where preparations are made for four main annual events as well as additional ones later on in the year. We are also joined by Mr Richard Lavender, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, on a fortnightly basis who helps us with ideas during meetings, sponsorships for events and participates in the Business Lunch. The main events include: a ‘girl’s night in’ for younger years, a business lunch for companies to
make connections with each other and the school, a murder mystery night where a three course meal is served as well as entertainment and most recently, the annual Burn’s night which ran for the fourth time this January with great success. Alongside our events we also have a hoodies team where we offer to sell hoodies to groups of students going on trips like foreign exchanges or annual trips such as Iceland. In doing so we make a small profit towards our charity. This is a growing part of Young Chamber as our school continues to expand on the number of trips and increase its international links exponentially. There are high expectations set out for students wishing to join Young Chamber as it requires a great amount of commitment in
order to run efficiently. The team is broken down so that all aspects of the management behind the events is dealt with including an events team, advertising team, and a chair and vice chair plus numerous other roles. These are decided at the beginning of the academic year so that each member can participate in helping Young Chamber be a success. Our team and our school both take pride in delivering outstanding events and we are expected and do put in every effort to make sure our audience has a fantastic experience, after all, a good reputation ensures good advertisement for the next year. Despite the hard work that we deliver whilst still in full time education, Young Chamber is nothing but a positive experience. The transferable skills learnt enable the students involved to be more confident going into the world of
work, whether it be being able to lead a team, speak publicly to a group of people you don’t know or even to have something to talk about during a university interview that sets you aside from other candidates. In addition, Year 13 students receive an open reference from Mr Lavender before they go on study leave which has helped many go on to do greater things.
Thinking Business
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